Sheffield United's Chris Wilder warns Premier League referees: I won't sit back and take bad decisions

That is certainly how he viewed referee Simon Hooper's performance in the 2-0 defeat to LIverpool at Bramall Lane which marked his return to the club and the division after two-and-a-half years away from the frustrations of video assistant referees and the like.

Wilder felt Virgil van Dijk's opening goal should have been chalked off for a foul on Anel Ahmedhodzic, believed James McAtee should have had a penalty and Ibrahima Konate a second yellow card for a penalty-area foul at 1-0, and argued Darwin Nunez's challenge on Jayden Bogle in the build-up to Dominik Szoboszlai's goal was worthy of a red card.

Wilder, whose Blades welcome Brentford to Bramall Lane on Saturday, has said he will not bite his tongue in the face of what he sees as injustices.

"I'm not just going to sit back," he warned. "Gary O'Neil has said the same and I've seen some of the decisions that have gone against Wolves.

"I'm Sheffield United manager and a Sheffield United supporter and I'm going to stick up for my football club.

"Maybe because of the situation we're in people just expect us to go down and just float away back down to the Championship where maybe you belong as a team.

"I ain't going to accept that because the season hasn't finished.

"We need consistency and we need good decisions to be made.

"I think there's three really poor decisions by the referee (on Wednesday) that on field should have definitely asked the question. We need to start making some more on-field decisions that get to the right conclusion.

"I can see the first one but not two or three, it's ridiculous.

"The first goal, certainly van Dijk has made a move to impede Anel and he falls on the ground. He's not just going to drop to the floor for nothing and he knows if he's going to get it off me if he does so he has to be physical but he (van Dijk)'s gone across him and it's a foul – no onfield decision made.

"The second one, McAtee's penalty, no onfield decision made.

"The third one... I love the (Sky Sports News) show and I love Dermot (Gallagher) and we've got history in terms of where he's from and where I've managed in Oxford but for the life of me (how) an incredible referee comes up with that conclusion on Sky that that isn't a foul. I'm watching a different sport because the amount of phonecalls I've got and people I've talked to say that's a foul.

"The dynamics change a little bit because there's still a bit of time left. I know we're clutching a little bit but they're down to 10 men because it would be his second yellow.

"I didn't think we deserved to get beaten 2-0 and who knows if in the last four or five minutes if we can get anything from the game?

"I don't think it's a malicious challenge I don't think he meant to do him (Bogle) but it was excessive force as we saw with John Lundstram's sending off two or three years ago (at Brighton and Hove Albion).

"Tackling is different now to 10, 15, 20 years ago and it's a definite foul.

"I was disappointed with that."

Oliver Norwood is suspended for Saturday's game for his fifth booking of the campaign, whilst Oli McBurnie completes a two-game ban for his red card at Burnley.